Romans 15: 4For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible is described in many ways. Here it is encapsulated in a verse about things that were written. They are powerful words. They are words written before our time, yet they are for our time. The scriptures Paul referred to were the Old Testament ones and the few New Testament books that had been written at the time Romans was written. Paul said they were written for a purpose. The long-ago words were written for future generations as well as the people alive at the time of their writing.
In a time when the Word of God is degraded and ridiculed, you and I know it is still relevant. Clothes wear out. The older, classic cars used to run and run, and now cars are built to last only until the final payment. The Bible never wears out. It is fresh and new. The Romans saw the need to learn from it. We need that too. Search the scriptures. They testify of Jesus. We can still trust every word. The Bible has not outlived its usefulness; neither has its authority ceased. If you find the Bible dull, rest assured it is not the Bible’s fault.
We can still feel its power. When we read it, we experience the power of God. The Word is settled in both heaven and earth. Man may try to pull the plug on its power, but God has his seal on it. Peter said we’re begotten by the Word to a lively hope. Here Paul said it was written for our learning that we can have patience, comfort, and hope. In the face of doom, we can have hope. These three things are the very things we all need.
We have patience because we know there is something worth waiting on. In a rash world that is spinning out of control, we need patience. We don’t have to get caught up in the whirlpool of the world. Life still has purpose. God’s Word is patient itself. It causes us to stop, stand still and see God. There may be times we love the Word. There may be times we dread it. We may be lazy with it at times. It proves itself patient. It is always there for us, ready to give what we need. Verse 5 says now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.
Because it is patient, we have comfort. I know my name is written in heaven. Through the gospel, the Word, I found Jesus. We will find comfort in the Bible for whatever needs we face in life. God knows how to put the Bible in contact and context with our lives. It shows us how to get the victory. Because it is patient, we can find patience. It helps us see ourselves in a real light and then shows us the remedy. That is comfort to the soul.
Through patience and comfort of the scripture, we have hope. People live and act as if there is no hope, but it is there. We have hope of a better tomorrow. The best is yet to come. I know this through the scripture. We’ll look better. We’ll feel better. We have that hope.
The key to the passage is things written aforetime. The Lord didn’t wait until we ran into a problem to fix it and figure it out. The answers to all problems were written a long time ago. Is what you face a first-time problem or situation for you? Before your first crisis, your first demon, your first sin, Christ died for you. Your total answer to life was written aforetime. The only thing left for us to do is learn it. No wonder the Bible says study to show thyself approved unto God. It says we are to seek out and read the scriptures. It was written for our learning. Through learning it, our hope becomes real.
What do we do when we face life? Open the Bible. It’s the way to patience, the way to comfort, and the way to hope. The solutions are there before the needs are upon us. God is at least one step ahead of us all the time because of his Word. How can we lose for winning with something like that in our hands? The most important thing we’ll ever do is learn it.
David esteemed it more than his food. He saw the need to learn and know it. Let’s open it. Let’s pray over it. Ask the Lord for a greater desire to study and more willingness to follow it. You will always find patience, comfort, and hope. It has been there between those covers just for you, from ancient time.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 